Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yovictoria.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Yovictoriaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in December, 1999, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum selection identified as code number 97-L092, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Megan, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,756, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2000. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yovictoria has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yovictoriaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yovictoriaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright, mounded and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Decorative-type inflorescences.
5. Light purple-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in late September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent, the selection 97-L092, in the following characteristics:
1. Plant habit of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was more uniform than plant habit of plants of the selection 97-L092.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the selection 97-L092.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week earlier than plants of the selection 97-L092 when grown under natural season conditions.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the selection 97-L092 differed in ray floret color as plants of the selection 97-L092 had orange-colored ray florets.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Megan, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Megan.
2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not have conspicuous disc florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Megan had conspicuous disc florets.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Megan.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about five days later than plants of the cultivar Megan when grown under natural season conditions.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Adonis, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Adonis in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Adonis.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Adonis.
3. Flowering of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was not delayed by high production temperatures whereas flowering of plants of the cultivar Adonis was delayed by high production temperatures.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Padre, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Padre in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Padre.
2. Ray floret color plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not fade as quickly as ray floret color of plants of the cultivar Padre.